Chương 368: Shock

Another youth appeared. This time, it was a face Long Feng knew to some extent. Yang Qian, the sword master. He was the only one who walked the path of the sword, and his understanding of it wasn't low. At the same time, he was also the only deity who didn't try to seek out Long Feng after the inheritance ground crumbled. Whatever his reason was, only he knew. Long Feng glanced at him and the latter also happened to be staring right at him, causing their gazes to clash for a split second.

Wang Chen, Fang Feichen and two other deities appeared almost at the same time. The moment they appeared, they all searched the group with their eyes and focused their solemn gazes on one person. The next person that appeared was a burly figure that brought about a heavy pressure. His appearance was usually intimidating, but this time, his appearance sent a wave of shock and disbelief throughout all the peak Imperials and even the five wardens standing.

"This…. What happened to Zhou Zheng's arm?" One of the wardens asked with bulging eyes.

"Who did this to him? Did he fight with the top three or what?" The head warden frowned deeply but said nothing, waiting for everyone to be sent out before the details would be revealed. The peak Imperial realm disciples weren't as clueless as the wardens though. Many if them had sensed the great battle that occurred in the realm, and Zhou Zheng's aura had stood out greatly. Now, seeing him in this state, it wasn't hard to add one and one to deduce some things.

"It really was him! But who was he fighting?"

"I sensed a powerful sword intent briefly as well as flame intent during the fight. I couldn't sense anything else." Someone revealed.

"Sword intent… that's… Yang Qian?" Many eyes turned to Yang Qian, who stood there emotionlessly with his own eyes focused on a pale figure among them.

"Flame intent as well? Only Bai Zijun cultivates the flame Dao. Could it have been him?" The head warden overheard these conversations and couldn't help but frown. Why would Bai Zijun fight Zhou Zheng and go as far as cleaving his arm off? Zhou Zheng glanced around the moment he appeared and focused his gaze on one face amidst all others. His body shook as several memories flashed through his mind as well as the pain of his arm. Instantly, enormous killing intent erupted from him as his eyes turned crimson.

This change startled everyone in the hall. Many followed Zhou Zheng's gaze and couldn't help but feel confused. Who was he staring at? There were only a few youths standing in the spot he was staring at, and none of them should be worth his attention. Long Feng slowly lifted his head and met Zhou Zheng's gaze. The deep black pupils caused Zhou Zheng's rage to suddenly decrease as the terror buried in his heart erupted.

He quickly suppressed his instincts to rush over and rip the latter apart as he recalled the ridiculous power the latter possessed.

"You…!" At the end, he merely gritted his teeth so hard that they nearly cracked. Before he could say anything, another figure exited the mystic realm, drawing everyone's attention.

"Situ Hong!"

"Bai Zijun should be next. It appears that he's now stronger than Situ Hong since even the mystic realm sent him out later." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This realization caused a faint smile to light up the head warden's face. Bai Zijun had always been ranked third, below Situ Hong. But now, he would certainly become second. Another person appeared, causing a heavy silence to fill the hall all of a sudden.

The ragged appearance, the torn robes and the messed up hair… this could only be Qiu Yushi. But… How?

"This…" even the wardens were stunned silence. Not because they thought something had happened to Bai Zijun. In fact, no one even entertained that thought. It wasn't possible for anything to happen to him. The only one who was stronger than him was Qiu Yushi, and they had a rather good relationship with each other. What shocked them was the fact that Qiu Yushi was sent out before Bai Zijun. That could only mean one thing… The mystic realm recognized Bai Zijun to be stronger than Qiu Yushi!

While the mystic realm was inanimate and only relied on the cultivation and not combat power, it was still astonishing, considering that Qiu Yushi's cultivation had always been above the others. They were technically all early stage deities, but he had gone through a stage known as refinement, which most people didn't even know existed. His cultivation was logically the highest. But now… Could it be that Bai Zijun had actually surpassed Qiu Yushi?

"Impossible!" The first warden exclaimed suddenly. He knew very well how strong Qiu Yushi was. The disciples and even the other top ten deities simply had no idea. He didn't believe that Bai Zijun could surpass him.

"In a normal situation, it would be impossible indeed. But remember the inheritance?" Another warden interrupted, causing the first warden to fall silent with realization.

"Indeed. If he acquired the inheritance, then surpassing Qiu Yushi wouldn't even be surprising." The head warden's smile extended from ear to ear as he listened to them while having the same thought. He was doubting whether Bai Zijun could really acquire the Dao heart, especially with a monster like Qiu Yushi present. Fortunately, it appeared that he succeeded.

'Zijun… excellent work! Possessing a Dao heart at the deity realm is unheard of! It'll pave your path to the Dao realm and draw the attention of the Sect's higher ups to you! Your father would be immensely proud of you…' his thoughts faded as his pupils shrank greatly.

"This…" Not just him. Everyone was stunned as the spot of light dimmed and faded away, representing the complete closure of the mystic realm. The silence was so intense that the shock in the air seemed to be resounding in the ears of everyone present. The mystic realm had closed… And Bai Zijun hadn't been sent out! There could only be one possibility, and everyone realized it. Bai Zijun was dead! But how was that even possible? He was a deity! Even among early stage deities, he stood at the absolute top!

How could he die? This fact was extremely hard to believe, especially to the head warden. His hands were shivering randomly as he blankly stared at the crystal wall which had returned to normal. The evidence was clear, but he still couldn't believe it. He quickly snapped out of his shock and looked around again and again. Perhaps he was simply overexcited and had missed the moment Bai Zijun emerged. That's right.

Bai Zijun probably came out before Situ Hong, but Zhou Zheng's reaction after he left caused the head warden to not notice Bai Zijun's appearance. That was what happened… His mind was in shambles as he swept his gaze across everyone several times and still couldn't spot Bai Zijun. His heart instantly sank to his stomach as he was forced to believe… Bai Zijun had really died in the mystic realm! It was like a hammer had brutally hit him on the head.

The head warden staggered backwards as the hall blurred before his eyes. His emotions were so scattered that he lost control of his energy, causing it to reverse in his body. As he staggered backwards, his face reddened as a mouthful of fresh blood spurted into the air. A terrifying pressure filled the hall for a brief second, causing all peak Imperials to fall to their knees and even the deities felt their backs lowering.

Long Feng's nose streamed with blood from the pressure as his body failed to put up even the slightest resistance. He fell to his knees and nearly laid down flat on the floor had the pressure not disappeared instantly. He coughed weakly while supporting his weak body. At the same time, his heart filled with great unease. Things weren't going in a good direction. Just from the fact that the head warden lost control so much, it was clear how much he cherished Bai Zijun. Would be peacefully let it slide?

It was a foregone conclusion that Long Feng would be exposed. All of the deities had their gazes focused on him alone, and the tense atmosphere was slowly getting stronger. There was no walking away from this easily. But even now, in this situation… he still didn't for one minute regret his decision to kill Bai Zijun. The other wardens regained their senses and rushed to support the head warden while helping him to regulate his energy.

Once he was stabilized, he stood on his feet again and stared at everyone with a pale yet soul chilling expression.

"Where is Zijun?" He still decided to ask, even though he already knew the answer. The deities all lowered their heads and avoided meeting the head warden's icy gaze. Their evasive attitudes confirmed everything. The head warden's heart filled with pain as his eyes dropped. A brief silence ensued as everyone digested the shocking news, then one of the four wardens stepped forward.

"What exactly happened inside the realm? How did he die?" He question with a serious expression.

"What killed him?" Another warden asked. Situ Hong slowly lifted his head and glanced at the warden.

"Not what. Who." He replied, emphasizing the final word. A subtle heaviness instantly filled the hall, terrifying all the disciples and causing their heartbeat and blood flow to slow down. The head warden slowly lifted his head to focus his savage eyes on Situ Hong, causing the latter to retreat a few steps in shock.

"What do you mean?" The head warden asked in a hoarse voice, causing a pressure as heavy as a mountain to descend upon Situ Hong. Right now, he wasn't thinking straight at all. His mind was in pieces and he was reacting purely based on his rage. And the rage of a Dao realm master could overturn seas and crumble mountains. Situ Hong's expression was deathly pale as he utilized his entire reserve of true essence to barely remain standing.

"Bai Zijun was murdered by someone!" He spat out amidst pressured breaths. Low gasps echoed through the hall as many eyes instantly turned to Qiu Yushi. If Situ Hong was speaking the truth, then only Qiu Yushi could do it, as only he possessed the strength to kill any of the other deities. The head warden naturally reasoned the same thing and turned his scarlet eyes to Qiu Yushi. Tremendous pressure began seeping out of him as he stared at Qiu Yushi.

The pressure was so immense that even though it was focused on Qiu Yushi, all the peak Imperials coughed up blood and fell to their knees again while the deities retreated with pale faces as though they had just suffered a blow. Shockingly, Qiu Yushi himself who was the focus of this pressure was resisting better than the other deities. His face was pale and reddish, a line of blood flowed down his lip, and his movement was restricted until he couldn't even speak, but he was otherwise fine.

"It's not him!" Zhou Zheng struggled to speak while withstanding the pressure. The head warden glanced at him icily.

"Who is it?" He questioned in a voice filled with suppressed rage. Right now, he was akin to a volcano ready to erupt at the slightest spark. Zhou Zheng had already been waiting for this exact question. He focused his gaze upon Long Feng with a ferocious glint in his eyes then heavily lifted his remaining arm and pointed a finger at Long Feng as he roared.

"It's him!"